Examining Kevin Owens' Direction, Upside and Long-Term Potential

Kevin Owens belongs on top of the WWE mountain, a cackling monster batting away those climbing up toward him.

In Owens, WWE has a wrestler it can build around. He is intimidating and enthralling, an artisan of insults and a freight train in wrestling boots. Building the right track for that train will be key in allowing him to reach his full speed.

For now, WWE seems undecided as to what to make of him.

On one hand, it has presented him as a man on the rise. He knocked off John Cena in his first match on the main roster. He regularly dispatches low-level foes. And he has already won the Intercontinental Championship before his first full year out of WWE's developmental brand.

Credit: WWE.com

Yet there appears to be some hesitation about making way for his ascension.

He was only IC champ for two months. And he hasn't exactly been booked to be a wrecking ball: Owens owns just a .375 winning percentage in 2016, according to Cagematch.

His character has wavered as well.

During his feud with Ryback, he played the cheating coward. He was a man willing to do anything and everything to provide for his family as he tangled with Cena and Sami Zayn. There has also been some vague talk of his being a prizefighter.

Aren't all pro wrestlers prizefighters, though?

Now that he's chasing Dean Ambrose's Intercontinental title, he's been more of a scowling, enraged beast hellbent on laying his enemies to waste. That's the road WWE needs to keep sending him down. Making him a Vader-like powerhouse with no remorse is the best use of his abilities.

Strengths

Owens is just as comfortable wielding a microphone as he is a steel chair. His skill set allows WWE to plug him into a brawl, a lengthy wrestling contest or a verbal skirmish and know that he will thrive.

As a talker, he appears at ease. His trash talk feels genuine, the result of a callous man speaking his mind.

WWE fans saw right away that he could hang with anyone when it came to a battle of words. He stormed onto the main roster, stepped up to Cena (long one of the company's best talkers) and proceeded to stand toe-to-toe with him.

That skill alone would net him major opportunities. His work between the ropes is just as much of an asset, though.

Owens is an adept bruiser. Whether he is pounding Neville into the mat or trading blows with AJ Styles in the Royal Rumble, he forces the audience to take notice.

His series with Cena last year was stellar. His wars with Finn Balor have been phenomenal. Most recently, he and Ambrose kick-started the Royal Rumble pay-per-view with a Last Man Standing match.

After that bout, former WWE Creative member Alex Greenfield and former referee Jimmy Korderas praised his in-ring artistry:

They are spot-on there. Owens is compelling when given a chance to paint a picture in the ring. And being able to turn matches like his battle with Ambrose into such works of theater will earn him multiple spots on the marquee.

He flourishes as a fighter and a predator, an orator and an athlete. As Hulk Hogan said of Owens in an interview with Rolling Stone, there are "no holes in his boat."

Obstacles

How much WWE is willing to stray from its preconceived notions of what a top wrestler looks like will determine Owens' ceiling.

The most common criticism thrown his way is that he doesn't look the part. Some feel that he's too fat to be a convincing superhero of the squared circle.

Former WWE writer Vince Russo has been one of the most outspoken critics of Owens for that reason. On The Ross Report with Jim Ross, Russo broke down his issues with Owens: "I can't accept the shape that Kevin Owens is. And he does not look like a star."

If a man who once led the writing team thinks this way, one has to imagine that there are current members of WWE Creative who are also not sold on Owens because he's doesn't match the statuesque ideal that guys like Randy Orton and Triple H do. 

That's such a limited way of thinking.

The WWE Hall of Fame boasts several men who don't look like action figures: Dusty Rhodes, Abdullah the Butcher, Mick Foley. Wrestling is a carnival of characters and is at its best when those characters are varied, not cookie-cutter.

Plus, Owens looks just fine. He comes across as a man capable of mauling another, an alleyway gladiator. As Bret Hart pointed out during a Q&A session for TSN: "He looks like a brickhouse. He looks solid as a rock, and he moves like a 100-pounder." 

If the WWE decision-makers have that same line of thinking, count on Owens soaring. If the company is resistant to pushing him because of his appearance, he'll struggle to move from the midcard.

Long-Term Potential

If WWE sets its mind on making the most of Owens' gifts, gives his character a clear direction and runs with it, the company will net itself a cornerstone.

He has the makings of a clear-cut top heel, a future WWE champion and a significant piece of the next era. Owens is an absolutely special talent. Imagining him thriving as the adversary of all of WWE's biggest babyfaces takes little imagination.

The fact that he is such a good fit for so many big matches is a testament to that.

When arranging the WrestleMania 32 card, WWE has to be intrigued by the idea of having him face The Undertaker. He would make a hell of an opponent for Brock Lesnar, too.

Announcer Mauro Ranallo sees him as the best option to take on the newly arrived Styles:

With likely a major WrestleMania contest on the way, a chance to collide with the likes of Styles and a returning Orton, 2016 is set to be a massive year for Owens. Get ready for excellence and anarchy from the former NXT champ.

Owens has the arsenal to be a man we long remember.